Novel-novel oleh Anna Bajanova

EpilogueEveryone who passed by the CEO’s office felt not just awkwardness but genuine fear. Several employees had already been fired simply for crossing Darvin’s path at the wrong moment. Stas walked past the sixth secretary hired that year and entered the office without knocking.“Vlad, even your own employees have started complaining to me,” he said, getting straight to the point as he sat down on the couch across from his brother. Vlad looked darker than a thundercloud, and no one seemed to understand why. “Maybe you can explain why people have been afraid to approach you for almost a year now?”Vlad raised his right hand.“What do you see?”“Your fingers…”“And what should have been on one of those fingers for at least a year now?”“Enough with the riddles. Are you like this because you and Nina still aren’t married? That depends entirely on you—just propose already. Honestly, I’ve been wondering myself why you still haven’t done it.”“I already have. Four times…”“Oh, come on, e

AlinaAnd so the day had finally arrived, yet the decision still hadn’t been made. My heart felt as though it were being torn apart, but did I really have a choice? Of course I did—become a single mother, or go on living as if nothing had ever happened. Both options made my knees tremble with fear.I had grown up surrounded by love and tenderness, care and peace, and it was hard for me to imagine how life could suddenly sweep me into a whirlwind of troubles.The cool September air made me shiver, and I wrapped my coat more tightly around myself. Dampness and gloom had settled over the world so abruptly that there had been no chance to catch my breath between the two seasons. Everything had happened too quickly. Just recently I had been a happy bride-to-be, but after choosing happiness over a promising husband, I had ended up a pregnant woman no one seemed to want.Of course I hadn’t told my parents anything. I was too ashamed of what I had done to even admit it to myself.I crossed th

At the entrance to the shabby old building, a well-dressed man in a dark business suit was already waiting for me.“Good morning, Mrs. Nina,” he said, handing me a folder with documents and a key. “The building now belongs entirely to you. There’s no need to pay any rent.”“Thank you,” I replied quietly, taking the items from his outstretched hand.After watching the stranger walk away—the man who had never even bothered to introduce himself—I turned my gaze back to the building.I had once spent so much time here that it was impossible to measure it properly. Sometimes I even stayed overnight. This place had been my sanctuary, the one where every object seemed to fill me with inspiration for new creations.I slipped the key into the lock, and the door creaked open.The sharp rhythm of my heels echoed across the tiled floor and bounced off the walls. The cool air inside the room, mixed with a faint trace of dampness, stirred pleasant memories in my mind.I opened the main door and fro

There was so much gratitude in my gaze that I could never have put it all into words. I had imagined countless times how I would explain to my son who his real father was, but Max had managed to do it almost effortlessly, as if by magic.“Thank you,” I said softly, stepping closer to him.Max took my hand and replied,“I have a request.”“Anything,” I answered honestly.Max leaned closer to my ear and whispered so quietly that only I could hear him.“Please… don’t disappear from my life. Stay in it at least as a friend.”I looked at him in surprise, but still nodded and smiled.Suddenly, as if someone had grabbed a kitten by the scruff of its neck, I was yanked backward. A strong hand settled on my shoulders, and an irritated voice sounded right beside my face.“What are you two lovebirds whispering about?”“Unexpected…” Max said with a faint smile. “So you are jealous after all, Darvin.”He turned his back to us.“If you don’t take good care of her, I’ll steal her away.”“Ni-na…” the

The man sat down across from the smug old man and braced himself for a difficult conversation. It became clear almost immediately that the boy was being held somewhere else. It would have been foolish to assume that such a valuable hostage would be kept within easy reach. This had all been a carefully orchestrated game designed to lure him exactly where they wanted him.“Well, here we are at last, face to face, Darvin,” the man said, flashing two rows of less-than-perfect teeth in a broad grin. “You know, you’re the spitting image of Emelyan. For a moment it almost feels like he’s the one sitting in front of me.”“Where is my son?” Darvin asked quietly, struggling to contain the rage coiled inside his fist. His fingers dug so hard into his palm that the skin beneath them turned red.“He’s perfectly fine. But his future depends entirely on you now. I had my suspicions from the very beginning that Sasha wasn’t my son’s child. That’s why I sent that nanny into your house. And she confirm

Father had taken a few blows, but overall he looked more or less fine. I looked at both of my parents and asked, struggling to keep the surge of fury inside me under control.“Why did you open the door? Couldn’t you have called us first when a stranger showed up at the doorstep?”Mother’s expression turned serious as she finished tending to my husband’s wound.“My dear, he wasn’t a stranger—that’s why I opened the door. The girl said she was your friend, and Sasha recognized her.”“A girl?” I asked in surprise. “What did Sasha call her?”“The nanny.”I slowly sank onto the couch and went still.How could that be? Could it really have been Nastya? But why would she do something like that?“Was it Nastya who hit you on the head like that?” I asked my father, glancing over my shoulder to where Darvin and Vanya were reviewing footage from the city cameras.“No. Two men burst in right after her and took the child. We tried to stop them, but… you can see how that turned out,” Mom said quiet

EpilogueIn the southern part of the Dominican Republic, summer was especially merciless, yet the light, humid breeze drifting in from the Caribbean Sea softened the edge of that oppressive heat. Slipping out to the beach early in the morning, I decided to be alone for a while and indulge in a bit of quiet reflection about life. The barely audible wash of the waves sounded like a soothing melody—exactly what I needed right now.A couple of days ago, I found out that I was truly pregnant, and suddenly far too many thoughts were crowding my mind. Owning a home—our own home—had become essential to me, a place where these two little troublemakers would grow up. Arthur stubbornly refused to talk about our future, sending me off to the beach to “rest” every single time I tried to bring it up. I had already figured out that we were on our honeymoon—but what would come after that?Lately, Arthur had been spending an alarming amount of time with his laptop and phone. Since he mostly spoke in t

The road felt far too familiar. That route had etched itself into my memory forever, yet now I couldn’t, for the life of me, understand why we were heading toward the Abramov mansion. Arthur gazed lazily out the window while Lena murmured something incoherent in her sleep. I was the only one sitting rigidly, as if perched on needles, and eventually I couldn’t bear it any longer.“Why are we going there?” I asked.“You’re going to deliver a gift to your friend from me.”It didn’t take long to realize what he meant. The only thing he could possibly offer was the pendant.“Is this some kind of joke?” I looked at him skeptically. “You were planning to take it away. And now you just want to hand it over?”Arthur glanced at me, clearly confused by the direction of the conversation.“I can’t take him,” he said calmly. “I don’t have time to watch over a child right now. I already have to protect this girl. The baby will be safer with his mother.”“I don’t understand you. Protect your mate fro

I had expected to see a Gothic palace with grim gargoyles clinging to its façade—not an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The place was desolate, steeped in an oppressive stillness. Even the blazing orange rays of the setting sun failed to bring it to life.The car came to a stop at the edge of the forest, offering a clear view of the half-ruined building.“Are you sure this is the place?” I asked as David unfastened his seatbelt.“Yes. This is where they keep those who displease the Werewolf Council. I’m going in. You stay here.”“Why would I do that? I’m coming with you!” I protested, tugging at the seatbelt latch. “What the hell? Is it jammed?”“Do you want to join the blonde in the back seat?”I stopped struggling and glanced over my shoulder at the sleeping girl.“No, I don’t. But I’m still coming with you.”“What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand? You’ll stay here—conscious or unconscious.”He opened the door and stepped out of the car.The moment he disappeared

“Maya, how are you?” Maura asked, her voice tight with concern.I sank into an armchair and let out a heavy sigh.“I’m fine… but I still don’t remember anything.”“Alright,” Egor said in a firm, commanding tone. “Your mate is Arthur Gromov. He’s being held at the Council right now, and from what we can tell, Ruslan managed to wipe his memory too.”“Who?” three female voices echoed at once.Had I heard that right—Gromov?“That’s impossible,” I snapped. “I wouldn’t go anywhere near Gromov even if you paid me.”“Egor, are you sure you’re not mistaken?” Maura asked, just as shaken.“No, I’m not. He claimed you as his mate, but the Council denied him. Maya, I don’t know what happened between you two all this time, but I can say one thing for sure: that guy loves you—deeply. And you… at the awards ceremony, when you won that culinary competition…”“Stop!” I cut the Alpha off. “I won a competition?”“Yes, but that’s not the point,” the werewolf went on. “That night I saw it—those sparks in b

"I truly didn’t tell him anything," I said, trembling as I felt Ruslan’s claws tear through the fabric of my T-shirt across my back."I wasn’t born yesterday. Was it really that hard to stay home?""What’s his name?" I asked, deciding to change the subject as I took a few steps back, clutching the shredded remains of my shirt to my chest.Either Ruslan didn’t hear me, or he chose to ignore the question. Turning my back on him was a fatal mistake.He looked like a beast driven mad with fury. Claws had burst from his hands, coarse wolf fur spreading across his skin. His eyes burned with a sickly yellow glow. But what terrified me most were his fangs — the same fangs that had already caused me unbearable pain."Ruslan, please, calm down. Let’s talk. Like normal people.""Talk?" He didn’t say it — he growled it, like a true predator, stepping forward and slamming me against the wall."I’m afraid of you.""Afraid?" A twisted grin stretched across his face — something that might once have r

Sometimes life turns into a vicious cycle of misfortune and relentless setbacks. I knew my memory had been erased—but I couldn’t grasp what, exactly, had been taken from me. The Maya staring back from the mirror was undeniably me, yet she felt like a stranger. My features had sharpened, shedding their girlish softness and fullness, becoming more refined, more feminine. My eyes seemed greener, my hair even more copper than before.My gaze drifted to the delicate sun-shaped pendant resting against my collarbone, set with a vivid red stone. I had no idea where it had come from, yet I knew—absolutely knew—that I was meant to wear it and never take it off. And then there was the mark on my neck. Or rather, I knew it had been there yesterday. Ruslan had sunk his wolf fangs into that spot so many times that now it was nothing but a blur of wounds and bruises, impossible to make out.A soft knock at the door pulled me away from my two-hour attempt to rediscover myself in the mirror. I had foo